TOPLINE
The Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday passed a $ 740.5 billion defense spending bill requiring the removal of Confederate names from military bases, organizing a fight with Trump that has threatened to veto the measure.
Soldiers listen to taps during a memorial service at Fort Hood on April 9, 2014 in Texas.
KEY FACTS
The spending bill contains a provision, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren, that would require the Pentagon in the next three years to rename all military bases named in honor of Confederate officers.
It passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, 86-14.
Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnel expressed his support for the name change bases and said last week that if it is “appropriate to revise these names, I agree with that.”
The House version of the bill, which was passed Tuesday, also includes a name change provision, but gives the military a year to complete the changes.
Given that both houses included a name change measure, it is likely to end in the final compromise bill, which will be voted on later this year.
Critical boss
Trump threatened to veto the House version of the spending bill this week, citing the name change measure as a top concern. The White House said in a statement that the Confederate-named bases are important to American history and the military personnel who served there, adding that the bill is “part of a sustained effort to erase the nation’s history from those who never meet changing standards of conduct. ”
Big number
10, that is the number of Army installations named after Confederate soldiers or leaders.
Key background
This is not the first action limiting Confederate symbolism in the military recently. This week, the Pentagon banned flying the Confederate flag in military installations, while the Marine Corps and the Navy banned all displays of the flag in June.
Whats Next
Both the House and Senate versions have to be reconciled, and a final bill will be voted on later this year. If Trump vetoes the bill, both the House and Senate could override the President’s veto.
Tangent
Congress is considering a similar measure to remove the Confederate statues from Capitol Hill, which was passed by the House this week with bipartisan support 305-113.
